Firearm magazine catch

ABSTRACT

DISCLOSED IS A SPRING BIASED PIVOTAL MAGAZINE CATCH FOR AN AUTOMATIC PISTOL MOUNTED IN A SIDE WALL OF THE FRAME ON A PIN ABOUT WHICH THE CATACH PIVOTS AND WHICH PIN LOCKS THE PARTS IN OPERABLE POSITION.

March 9, 1971 G. WILHELM 3,563,348

FIREARM MAGAZINE CATCH Filed June 25, 1968 2 SheetsSheet 1 INVENTOR. Gary YWl/zeim March 9, 1971 e. WILHELM FIREARM MAGAZINE CATCH 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 25, 1968 fly. 8

INVENTOR. Gary mihelm BY United States Patent 3,568,348 FIREARM MAGAZINE CATCH Gary Wilhelm, Hamden, Conn., assignor to Stoeger Arms Corporation, South Hackensack, NJ. Filed June 25, 1968, Ser. No. 739,816 Int. Cl. F41c 25/00, 25/06 US. Cl. 42--7 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Disclosed is a spring biased pivotal magazine catch for an automatic pistol mounted in a side wall of the frame on a pin about which the catch pivots and which pin locks the parts in operable position.

The object of this invention is to provide a pistol magazine catch adapted for semi or fully automatic firearms, especially pistols.

Another object is to have substantially all parts of such a catch below the outer surface of the frame of a firearm with none projecting into the magazine well.

A further object is to provide a catch of parts economical to fabricate and easy to assemble and lock to the frame of a pistol or other firearm.

Other objects will appear from the description which follows.

In the drawings in which the same numeral refers to the same or a similar part:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the grip portion of a pistol embodying this invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of a magazine for the pistol of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged side view of a portion of the outer surface of the pistol frame prior to installing the magazine.

FIG. 4 is a section on 4-4 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is the view of FIG. 3 after installation of the catch in the frame.

FIG. 6 is a section on 6-6 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged section 7-7 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the catch anchor plate.

FIG. 9 is a side elevational view of the pivot pin support for the catch.

FIG. 10 is a plan view of the inside of the grip panel before assembly to the frame.

As seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, pistol 1 has checkered grip panel 3 covering substantially all of the grip portion of pistol frame 2. Within the cavity in the grip portion of frame 2 magazine 4 is retained by having magazine catch 11 engage recess 5 in the side wall of the magazine. Only knurled end 6 of catch 11 is visible on the outside of pistol 1.

Prior to the assembly of the magazine catch to frame 2 the side wall of the frame appears as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. Cast or formed in the grip portion is a shaped longitudinal opening 7 with lips 8 partially surrounding the opening at its outer entrance. Ledge 9 at the end of opening 7 accommodates hole 10 in the wall of the frame.

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate the combination of catch 11 and frame 2 while FIG. 7 shows the combination of catch 11, frame 2 and magazine 4.

Catch anchor plate 12 is a dished disk with a pair of parallel slots 21 as shown in FIG. 8. It bears against the inner surfaces of lips 8. Channel shaped pin support 13, as seen in FIG. 9, has a hole 22 in each upstanding side wall member, in registry with each other. Support 13 engages in the slots 21 of anchor plate 12, with pin 14 passing through the holes 22 in support 13 and centrally located transverse hole in catch 11. The ends of pin 14 rest on the adjacent outer surface of frame 2. As seen in FIG. 10 the bottom of grip panel 3 has recess 15 and 3,568,348 Patented Mar. 9, 1971 slots 23 so that when grip panel 3 is secured with its inner surface in contact with the outer surface of the frame provision is made for pin 14 and the portion of catch 11 that lies outside the surface of frame 2.

Pivotal on pin 14, catch 11 has its knurled end 6 resting on plunger 16 which, atop spring 17, is seated in plunger tube 18. Plunger tube 18 passes through hole 10. With some forms of frame that at this point have a thickened section a plunger tube may be dispensed with and with a deepened hole 10, the plunger spring 17 and plunger 16 seated directly therein.

The other end of catch 11 has nose 19 projecting into the cavity 20 of frame 2 and, as seen in FIG. 7, in engagement in recess 5 of magazine 4. Nose 19 is the only portion of the magazine catch that may lie within such cavity.

To release magazine 4 from pistol 1, pressure on knurled, end 6 will raise nose 19 out of the cavity and from its engagement with the magazine, permitting it to be withdrawn.

Assembly of the magazine catch is readily apparent from its description. Pin support 13 is inserted in anchor plate 12 and from within frame 2 placed with the edge of anchor plate 12 bearing against lips 8. Next, on the outside of frame 2 catch 11 is placed between the upstand ing side wall members of support 13 and pin 14 is inserted through the holes 22 in those members and the transverse hole in catch 11, the flexibility of dished anchor plate 12 permitting this and thereafter furnishing a tight connection.

With lips 8 thus firmly grasped between anchor plate 12 and pin 14 the assembly is locked to frame 2. When grip panel 3 is attached, pin 14 cannot be moved out of its position and only knurled end 6 of catch 11 is visible on the outside of the pistol.

Various modifications in shape, size and details may be made employing the basic principles herein shown.

What I claim is:

1. In a pistol the combination of a frame, magazine, and magazine catch, including:

a frame having a cavity in its grip portion,

a longitudinal opening into the cavity through a lateral wall of the grip portion, and

a lip extending inward of such opening;

a magazine catch comprising:

a spring biased plunger seated in and projecting outward of the frame,

a plate member having a slotted opening therethrough, wholly contained within the longitudinal opening and bearing against the inner surface of the lip,

a plate retaining member contained within the longitudinal opening and clear of the said cavity, having an upstanding wall extending outwardly through the slotted opening in the said plate member,

a hole in the upstanding wall of the plate retaining member a spaced distance from the base thereof,

a pin through the said hole with its ends resting on the adjacent outer surface of the lip,

a longitudinal member pivotally mounted on the pin with one end bearing on the plunger and the other end terminating within the cavity of the frame; and

a magazine having a recess in a side wall adapted to receive the end of the said longitudinal member when the magazine is seated in the cavity of the pistol frame.

2. In a pistol the combination of a frame, magazine, and magazine catch, including:

a frame having a cavity in its grip portion,

a longitudinal opening into the cavity through a lateral Wall of the grip portion with a lip extending inward at the entrance of the opening;

a magazine catch comprising:

a. spring biased plunger seated in and projecting outward of the frame,

a dished disk having a pair of parallel slots therethrough, wholly contained within the frame opening and bearing against the inner surface of the lip,

a channel shaped member contained within the frame opening and clear of the said cavity, with its upstanding side walls extending outward through the slots in the disk,

holes in the upstanding side walls of the channel shaped member a spaced distance from the base thereof,

a pin through the said holes with its ends resting on the adjacent outer surface of the lip,

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 743,002 11/1903 Knoble 427 804,984 11/1905 Searle 427 898,038 9/1908 Clarus 427 1,368,719 2/1921 Hammond 42-7 1,452,042 4/ 1923 Hammond 42-7 SAMUEL W. ENGLE, Primary Examiner CHARLES T. JORDAN, Assistant Examiner 

